Adisutjipto Airport Quiet Ahead of Prabowo's Reactivation Plan
Yogyakarta’s Adi Sutjipto Airport remains quiet with minimal passenger activity, even as the government plans to reactivate commercial flights following a direct instruction from President Prabowo Subianto.
According to airport management, the flight schedule for Friday, 12 June 2026, still includes a handful of commercial services. There are five arrival and departure schedules, indicating the airport continues to serve regular flights primarily to and from Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta and Karimunjawa.
A visit by detikJogja at 10:30 WIB found several terminal areas still maintained but largely deserted. The departure corridor, once crowded with passengers, was empty. The busiest area was the adjacent Maguwoharjo Station, serving KRL commuter line passengers.
The entrance corridor to the departure area was quiet and the interior rooms appeared unkempt. Through the glass, tall weeds were visible outside. The escalator connecting levels was not functioning, and the air conditioning in the corridor was switched off, making the air stuffy.
Inside the departure area, signage to the departure lounge still hung from the ceiling. Rows of counters and service rooms along the corridor were closed without activity. Many cafes around the corridor had also shut down.
Amid the quiet atmosphere, a glimmer of hope has emerged for land transport operators who depend on the airport for their daily income. Purwanto, a taxi driver who has operated at Adisutjipto Airport since 2004, expressed joy at the reactivation plan. “I welcome it. I am happy if there are additional flights, so there is income. Currently, conditions are quiet, so any addition makes me very happy,” he said.
Purwanto noted that the airport’s current state is vastly different from a few years ago. The lack of flight activity has drastically reduced the number of passengers using land transport. He sometimes gets only one booking a day, and often returns home without any passengers at all. “In the past, it was so busy you just had to offer your services. Since online taxis appeared, it has already decreased,” he recalled.
He hopes the government’s plan to reactivate commercial flights at Adisutjipto Airport will be realised and revive economic activity around the airport. “My hope is that with this addition, passengers will increase, and we will be even happier,” he concluded.
President Prabowo Subianto previously issued a direct instruction for the reactivation and commercialisation optimisation of several airports, including Husein Sastranegara Airport in Bandung and Adi Sutjipto Airport in Yogyakarta. To follow up, Deputy Minister of Defence Donny Ermawan received a working visit from Deputy Minister of National Development Planning Febrian Alphyanto Ruddyard in Jakarta on Monday, 25 May 2026.
The meeting discussed coordination to accelerate national strategic programmes intersecting with defence asset management, transport infrastructure optimisation, and national aerospace industry development. Regarding the shared use of the Indonesian Air Force base for commercial civil flights, the Ministry of Defence expressed full commitment and regulatory support. Technical challenges concerning apron capacity and flight time management will be further coordinated across sectors with the Ministry of Transportation and relevant local governments.
“We welcome the plan to reopen commercial flights, while ensuring the operations and defence presence of the Indonesian Air Force in the area run optimally and are well maintained. Going forward, the main concern is the technical arrangement regarding apron use and flight time management to avoid congestion, so that military and civilian activities can take place harmoniously, in alignment, and without mutual interference,” said the Deputy Minister of Defence.